Corticosteroids represent a broad class of agents employed in the treatment of individuals suffering from a variety of disorders. In the treatment of an individual suffering from arthritis, for example, administration of a corticosteroid may reduce inflammation. In addition, individuals suffering autoimmune disorders often benefit from the administration of a corticosteroid. Other applications in which corticosteroids have been used include the treatment of individuals suffering from allergic reactions, ankylosing spondylitis, asthma, Crohn's disease dermatological disorders and psoriasis among others. As a class, corticosteroids represent an important and widely used tool in pharmacotherapy.
Although corticosteroids serve an important role in treating patients, their use is sometimes associated with (among other things) CNS side effects, such as insomnia, eurphoria, mood changes, nervousness, personality changes, depression, nausea, headaches and convulsions.
As a consequence, pharmacotherapy with corticosteroids would be improved if these and/or other side effects associated with their use could be decreased.
The present invention seeks to address these and other needs in the art.